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Who
Wears the Pants? THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS: Directed by Ken Kwapis. Written by Delia Ephron, Elizabeth Chandler. Based on the novel by Ann Brashares. Produced by Debra Martin Chase, Denise Di Novi, Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove. Executive producers, Leslie Morganstein, Alison Greenspan, Kira Davis. Cinematography, John Bailey. Production design, Gae Buckley. Editor, Kathryn Himoff. Costumes, Lisa Jensen. Music, Cliff Eidelman. Starring Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively and Alexis Bledel, with Bradley Whitford, Nancy Travis, Rachel Ticotin and Jenna Boyd. Alcon Entertainment, 2005. PG. 113 minutes.
It feels like a rare thing indeed when Hollywood makes a mainstream movie for and about teen girls that isn't all about boys, clothes, popularity contests, or wacky body-swaps. Boys and clothes certainly factor in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but they're secondary to the true story, which is simply, sweetly and respectfully about female friendship. Tibby (Amber Tamblyn), Carmen (America Ferrera), Bridget (Blake Lively) and Lena (Alexis Bledel) have been friends practically since birth, since their mothers met in an aerobics class. It's the first summer they're going to be apart, and they're not sure how they'll keep their bond. Enter the pants, a magical pair of thrift-store Levi's that fit all four girls perfectly. Strangely, this bit of magic was easier for me to accept than the idea that these four girls were truly the best of friends. Lena is a shy, pretty artist. Bridget, at first glance, is simply a jock: tall, blonde, tan and cocky. Carmen, a writer and the story's narrator, is half Puerto Rican and saucy, smart and sensitive. And then there's Tibby. With her hair streaked blue, her clothes in endless layers of black, and her eye-rolling sarcasm, Tibby comes from the same mold as Enid in Ghost World and Cassandra in Saved, and as such it'd be easier to see her as an outsider. It's a measure of the talent these four young actresses have that they stretch these slim character outlines into warm, smart, honest, fallible characters — and they convincingly include oddball Tibby. After the sisterhood is formed, the girls go their separate ways, each promising to keep the pants for a week, then send them to the girl next in line. Of course, this is a movie, and thus nothing goes quite as expected. Carmen arrives at her father's to find she's about to get a stepmother (Nancy Travis) and two painfully blonde stepsiblings. In Greece, Lena falls for a young man from a family her grandparents detest. In Mexico, Bridget's got it bad for a totally off-limits coach at her soccer camp. And back at home, Tibby's working at Wallman's and making a "suckumentary" about the losers in town when she reluctantly befriends a solemn-faced 12-year-old named Bailey (Jenna Boyd). There's a light touch of cliché in each of these stories, but what makes the film stand out is a combination of brilliant casting and a delicate hand by writers Delia Ephron and Elizabeth Chandler. When they pull the audience's heartstrings — and oh, do they, particularly in a hospital scene that led to a lot of sniffles 'round the theater — they do so with an eye to friendship and trust, not heartbreak, melodrama or betrayal. And these actresses come through every time. While a lesser actress might have made Carmen petulant, Ferrera's expressive face and striking presence give depth to her anger and disappointment in her father. Bledel's Lena arrives in Greece tentative and shy; her graceful transformation to a girl who stands up for her choices seems written on her skin in the freckles that come out under the Mediterranean sun. As Bridget, Lively's storyline unfortunately includes the one bit of "magic" with the pants that's a little much to stomach, but the moments when the self-assured teen lets down her façade and shows her fear and vulnerability are winningly real. Ferrera's been getting most of the attention for this film, but I think it's Tamblyn who has the toughest job. She faces the movie's biggest emotional sinkhole — the terminally ill child — and as Tibby, she gradually, grudgingly, reluctantly softens up, never sweet, never cloying. Sisterhood isn't groundbreaking, but it is refreshing. With a few exceptions, female friendship in film tends to take a backseat to romantic entanglements, perhaps in a ploy to broaden a movie's audience. Sisterhood doesn't compromise; the men and boys are definitely secondary. If you've missed a best friend, be warned: You'll miss her even more when the movie's over.
OPENING
OR RETURNING: Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girls in 3D, The: Cayden Boyd stars as a boy whose imaginary superhero friends come to life and join him on a series of adventures. Directed by Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Spy Kids). PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. Awakenings and Epiphanies: Five short films by independent West Coast filmmakers illustrate how death, drugs and angels on commuter trains inspire moments of clarity and personal transformation. NR. Latenite Bijou. Honeymooners, The: Comedy about a working class New York bus driver Ralph Kramden (Cedric the Entertainer) who is always coming up with get-rich-quick schemes for him and his best friend, Ed Norton (Epps). PG-13. Cinemark. Layercake: A successful cocaine dealer (Daniel Craig) planning an early retirement is lured back into business by a love interest and an international drug ring. R. Bijou. Mr & Mrs Smith: An action adventure romantic comedy thriller about a bored married couple (Angelia Jolie and Brad Pitt) who is surprised to learn that they are assassins hired to kill each other. Directed by Doug Liman (Bourne Identity). PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Walk On Water: Following the suicide of his wife, an Israeli intelligence agent assigned with tracking down a Nazi war criminal has a crisis of consciousness after he befriends one of his target's grandsons. R. Bijou.
CONTINUING: Cinderella Man: Russell Crowe stars as real-life, Depression Era boxer Jim Braddock; Renee Zellwegger plays his supportive wife, Mae. Directed by Ron Howard, picture also stars the great Paul Giamatti. A complicated, focused and courageous fighter, Braddock not only spars in the ring but also struggles to keep his family together despite the country's widespread, crippling poverty and record unemployment. Very highest recommendations. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online Archives. Crash: Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby) wrote, directed and produced this urban drama set in Los Angeles, which looks at the complexities of racial tolerance in contemporary America. Stars Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe and Lorenz Tate. R. Cinema World. Fever Pitch: The Farrelly brothers direct a Lowell Ganz screenplay based on a Nick Hornby novel about a fanatic Red Sox fan (Jimmy Fallon) who may have to choose between the team and a woman (Drew Barrymore) he loves. PG-13. Movies 12. Guess Who: Bernie Mac stars as the father of Zoe Saldana, who brings her boyfriend, Ashton Kutcher, home, and he's white! Comic retake on the 1967 Sidney Poitier movie. PG-13. Movies 12. Hitch: Will Smith stars in this romantic comedy as a New York "date doctor" who helps hapless men woo the women of their dreams. Costars Kevin James, Amber Valletta, Eva Mendes, Michael Rappaport and Adam Arkin. Directed by Andy Tennant. PG-13. Movies 12. Hostage: Former LAPD hostage-negotiator Bruce Willis moves his family to a low-crime town in Ventura County where criminal teenagers hold them hostage, and he must take over the crime scene investigation. A film by Florent Siri. R. Movies 12. Interpreter, The: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, and Catherine Keener star in Sydney Pollack's assassination-threat film set inside the actual United Nations building in New York. Kidman is a UN interpreter; Penn's a Secret Service agent. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. Kicking and Screaming: Will Ferrell and Robert Duvall as rival youth soccer team coaches. Directed by Jesse Dylan, it also stars Mike Ditka and Kate Walsh. PG. Movies 12. Kingdom of Heaven: Set in the 12th Century, this epic Crusades film is directed by Ridley Scott (Gladiator). It stars Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons and Eva Green. Highly recommended. R. Movies 12. Online archives. Longest Yard, The: Lots of world-class athletes from NFL players to kick-boxers and wrestlers star along with Adam Sandler, Burt Reynolds and Chris Rock in this comic tall tale of a group of diverse inmates who team up to play against their guards. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Lords of Dogtown: Written by Stacy Peralta, a former skateboarder himself, this is the commercial, fictionally enhanced version of his outstanding documentary, Dogtown and the Z Boys, about the Venice, California kids who combined the moves of surfing with the art of skateboarding. Stars Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk, John Robinson; directed by Catherine Hardwicke. PG-13. Cinemark. Madagascar: Computer-animated comedy stars voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith as animals who escape from the Central Park Zoo for a big city adventure. But they are captured and put on a ship headed for Africa, where they must survive in the wild. Directed by Eric Darnell (Antz) and Tom McGrath ("The Ren and Stimpy Show"). PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous: Lucky FBI Agent Sandra Bullock has an outspoken partner (Regina King) who calls her "Barbie" and keeps her straight. Enrique Murciano, William Shatner, Heather Burns, Treat Williams co-star. Directed by John Pasquin. PG-13. Movies 12. Monster-in-Law: Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez duke it out verbally in this comedy directed by Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde). Also stars Michael Vartan and Wanda Sykes. PG-13. Movies 12. Pacifier, The: Disgraced Navy SEAL Shane Wolf (Vin Diesel) is given a new assignment to protect 5 kids from enemies of their recently deceased father – a government scientist whose top secret experiment is still in the house. Thriller? Drama? Tear-jerker? Nope, it's a comedy. PG. Movies 12. Robots: Chris Wedge's amusing tale of a robot lad who dreams of being an inventor. This creative world of mechanical beings is never dull because these endearing, pieced-together, talking tin cans convey comfort and safety. Voices by Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Robin Williams, Mel Brooks, Amanda Bynes, Stanley Tucci, Greg Kinnear. Not preachy, but a good teaching tale about differences. Warmly recommended. PG. Movies 12. Online archives. Sahara: Penelope Cruz, Matthew McConaughey and Steve Zahn team up to look for a long-lost Civil War battleship that protects a secret cargo. PG-13. Movies 12. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: Four young women who've been friends since childhood are now going their different ways. They wonder how they'll stay in touch until they discover a pair of jeans that fit each of them perfectly. Stars America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. See review this issue. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: The long-awaited final episode in George Lucas's series stars Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman. From Village Voice reviewer Ed Halter: "Lucas packs his latest with physics-defying deep-space dogfights and zhoozhing lightsaber battles, frequently cutting back and forth between two simultaneous melees on separate planets, deploying his signature Flash Gordon wipes." PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives.
MOVIE
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